Arthur Greene
After 21 years, 778 games, 672 goals, 34 trophies, six ballon d’ors and a single red card, Lionel Messi is leaving FC Barcelona.
The Spanish club announced in a statement on Wednesday evening that the footballing legend would not be renewing his contract, which expired this summer.
Barcelona announced the shock news just days after rumours emerged that Messi had agreed a new five year deal with the club on reduced wages.
However, “Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled,” the club said.
It has come to pass that the deal he agreed to sign has relied on Barcelona selling several of their players to finance the deal, and they have now proven unable to do so.
“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations],” the club said.
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.”
The 34-year-old will be leaving the only club at which he built a reputation of not only being the best player of his generation, but quite possibly the greatest footballer of all time.
Messi’s goal tally for Barca is the most ever by a player for a single club, after he passed Pele’s record of 643 for Brazilian club Santos last season.
He is comfortably the leading goalscorer in La Liga, with 474, and the second-highest goalscorer in the Champions League (his legendary rival Cristiano Ronaldo has 134 goals while he has 120).
The forward has won 34 major trophies with the club: ten league titles, seven Copa del Reys, eight Spanish Super Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and Club World Cups and four Champions League titles.
Speculation will now by rife as to which club the forward will go to now to ply his trade.
After asking to leave Barcelona last year, he was continuously linked with a move to Manchester City, where he would be reunited with his former boss Pep Guardiola. This summer, he had been linked with a move to the free-spending French side, PSG, before news broke of his willingness to sign a new deal.
Image source: @imessi
